Venetian blind



Patented Oct. 3, 1933 UNITED- STATES PATENT. OFFICE This invention relates to light obscuring shutters or screens and more particularly to types known as venetian blinds as'applied to windows and like embrasures.

These devices usually consist of a plurality of thin wooden slats interwoven with cords in such manner as to present overlapping edges, when.

operatively disposed, in substantially vertical planes relative to their width, and are ordinarily capable of being rotatably adjusted into horizontal positions.

Whatever the arrangement may be, the entire series of slats may be rolled or gathered generally at the upper part of the window, there presenting an unsightly appearance as the coil or pile of slats necessarily projects forwardly and downwardly in the window opening to occupy considerable space.

Moreover, lowering and raising of the blind is. o accomplished only by the exercise of skill and expenditure of muscular energy, and raising of the blind is accompanied by considerable noise as its slats contact with one another.

Another difficulty with' coventional venetian blinds is that in raising and lowering, the operating cords on each side of the blind must be pulled in unison in order to maintain the slats in horizontal relation and the operating cords must be tied fast in a cleat in order to hold the blind in various positions of adjustment.

In raising the conventional venetian blind the slats are all stacked upon the lowermost slat presenting an unsightly appearance and obviously, when the blind is raised to one half or two thirds of the height of the window opening,'a considering the view and cutting off light and air.

Having these matters in mind, it has been an object of the present invention to provide an improved form of blind, screen or shutter in which novel and easily .operable means are employed in securing height adjustment.

A further feature is in the provision of means for obscuring the blind when in a raised position, also operative to prevent an accumulation of dust on the blind slats and furthermore, to present a neat and attractive appearance.

A still further object is to provide an improved form of blind which when raised will not hang into the window opening but will give substantially the full area of the opening for light and air A still further feature is the provision'of means for maintaining the slats of venetian blinds in relative adjusted position and maintaining the same at all times in perfect horizontal alinement and to provide means for evenly raising both ends of the slats in unison by use of a single pull cord. Further, conventional blinds are constructed with double tapes running along opposite edges 00 of the slats and connected together by horizontal cross webs on which the slats rest by gravity and the slats are provided with transverse slots between the tapes through which the pull cords loosely fit.

These and other advantageous objects, which will become apparent as the description prograsses, are accomplished by the novel construction, arrangement and combination of few, plain and simple parts, as hereinafter fully described, 7

and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming an important part of this disclosure, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevational, partial vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the in-- 7 vention as applied to a conventional window.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view of the lower part of the same.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same taken on a zone higher up and showing the slats in an 90 angular position. I

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3, drawn to an enlarged scale.

.Fig. 5 is a front view showing the manner of securing a beam' element in the window embrasure.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front view of the slat actuating device employed.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modified form of slat tilting means. able stack of the slats are piled together obscur- Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front view of the same. Fig. 9 is a detail drawn to enlarged scale of the friction element of slat tilting means.

Throughout the several views the embrasure side walls are designated in general by the numer-v a1 10, the top 11 and bottom 12.

A support beam 14 is rigidly held between the sides 10, its narrow side edge juxtaposed against the top 11 and fixed in position in any convenient manner, as by a pair of spaced spurs 15 set'in one end of the beam to be forced into the wall 10 by a single opposed spur 16 threaded into the opposite end of the beam and having a part engageable by a wrench to force it against the opposite wall, thus securely fixing the beam in operative m5 position.

Carried by the front face of the beam 14 is a plate 1'7 having forwardly extending arms 18 provided with downreaching extensions 19 containing'spaced horizontal um 20 open at their w outer edges, which are slightly in advance of the walls of the embrasure.

' These arms are disposed closely against the walls 10, as will be understood, and act as supports of a sheet metal canopy 21 designed to present an ornamental appearance and having set in its side walls pairs of. pins 22 slidably engaged in the slots 20 thereby to support the canopy structure.

Links 23, riveted to the arms 18, extend almost to the front plate 24 of the canopy. while the lower wall 25 of the canopy extends inwardly to a point within the embrasure.

Firmly fixed to the walls 10 are guide bars 26-27 the former extending vertically upward the length of the sides nearly to the height of the beam 14.

The other guide bars 27 are curved forwardly at a point below the upper ends ofthe bars 26' and extended straight horizontally to the front wall 24 of the canopy as at 27'.

-A shaft 28 is journalled at its ends in the side walls of the canopy, at a point above and near the inner edge of its bottom wall 25 and fixed on low the pins,

the end portions of this shaft are grooved pulleys 29 over which are trained pull cords 30, the lower bight of which reaches downwardly to a height convenient for manual operation.

Adjacently inward of the pulleys 29 are long armed wheels 31 partially enclosed in casings 32 attached to the canopy bottom wall 25.

. In order to avoid too free rotation of the shaft and itsaccoutrements, compression springs 33 encircle the ends of the shaft 28, between the pulleys 29 and friction members 34, constituting a brake device. a

A series of shutter slats 35 are provided with pintles 36 at their ends adapted to enter between the guide bars 26-27 and also to be operatively engaged by the arms of .the wheels 31 when raising, lowering or retaining the blind.

The edges of each slat carry eyes 3'! spacedly connected to cords 38 tained uniformly, these cords passing over a bar 39' at the end of the series of-slats and thence around the pintles 40 revolubly engaged, in the endsof a weight 41 and by which the cords are held properlytaut. I

Brackets 42, fixed to the ends of the weight bar, are pivoted on the pintles 43 of the bar 39'.

secured clips 45 v triilly of the slats and enveloped between pairs of tapes 47, these tapes passing through the slats and being stitched firmly together above and beas at 48, thus pivotally supporting spaced relation. The upper 47 are anchored to bar 23' the free ends of link 23, and tapes are anchored to the weight 41 by screws or other fastening means 50. In operation, if it be desired to raise the blind, the cords 30' are appropriately drawn, causing the arms of the wheel 31to of the slats, which are guided on the bar 2'1, and pressed in close relation within the canopy 21, the cords 38 and tapes offering no impediment to close folding.

Qbviously, upon pulling the cord 30 in the opposite direction, the weight 41 will operate to lower the screen, otherwise locked by the. wheel arms and braking devices.-

Theslatsmayallbetumedinunisontoany the sluts in positive ends of said tapes extendin between the lower ends of said I desired angle by the cords 3a and are frictionally weight bar 41'.

by which they are mainsupport to fit between engage the plntles 36 the respective p held in adjustment by the coiling of the cords on the weight pintle 40.

In the modification shown in Figs. 7, -8 and 9, the cords 38 are attached to one end of a lever 51 pivoted on pin 40 fixedly secured in the end of The face of the lever 51 in its pivot zone is provided with radial ribs 53 adapted to engage in mating grooves or depressions 54 provided in the adjacent surface of the bracket 42', the lever 51 being yieldably urged by the coil spring 52 against the bracket 42'. Obviously, movement of the lever 51 will cause a tilting of the slats 35 and the interengagement of the levers 51 with the brackets 42' will retain the slats in adjusted position.

when the blind is raised so that the lower weight rail is out of reach of a person on the floor, the slats may be tilted by engagin ring 54 which is integral with lever 51, with a window pole or other convenient means.

Although the foregoing is descriptive of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent'that minor changes may be made in the construction, conflicting with the scope of the claims appended.

.Having thus described claim as new and desire Patent, is:

1. In a pivotally connected in spaced relation and having pintles on their ends, the combination of means for guiding said pintles when moved vertically and horizontally, means to retain the slats in my invention, what I parallel relation irrespective of their position, an 1 auxiliary weight to retain the connections between the slats in a taut condition, a canopy into which the slats are movable, and means to enter and remove the slats relative to the canopy.

2. The combination with a a plurality of parallel slats pivotally mounted for central longitudinal rotation and having pintles at their ends, of guide ways for said pintles, a hollow canopy into which said guide-ways lead, means for detachably engaging said canopy, a shaft in said canopy, armed wheels on said shaft to operatively engage said plntles, cord actuated pulleys on said shaft, 9. braking means, and a weight adapted to stress the series of slats. said weight being operative to withdrawv the said canopy upon release of said shaft.

3. In a venetian blind, a series of slats, each slat having a plurality of longitudinal slots, rods longitudinally bridging said slots, and tending through the rods and secured together to confine the rods at spaced intervals along the said tapes to maintain the slats in spaced relation. 4. The combination with means for maintaining within a window opening, said means comprising a the jambs, a plurality of spurs on one end of the support adapted to impinge in the wall of one of the jambs and an adjustable spur on adapted to be removably and adjustably impinged in the opposite jamb.

5. A venetian blind comprising a plurality of slats having longitudinal openings therethrough, a pin extended across each opening, tapesv for connecting, said'slats in spaced relation extending through the. slots and being joined adjacent to pivotally confine am, e slats, a shaft, wheels fixed tapes exa shutter or blind, of

guide tracks for to said without the exercise of invention or hereto 1 to secure by Letters I blind comprising a plurality of slats blind composed of slats from slots on either side of said 3 said blind or shutter 13 the opposite end of the support shaft having arms to contact the slats for raising and lowering said blind and for stacking the slats on said tracks in vertical edgewise '1. The combination with a venetian blind having slats and flexible elements for spacedly connecting the slats of a weight member suspended from the lower ends of said flexible elements,- revoluble members pivoted on the ends of said weight, other flexible members attached to opposite sides of said revoluble members and extending upwardly adjacent the edges of said slats and connected to each slat whereby angular adjustments of the slats will be accomplished in unison and means associated with said revoluble elements to yieldably retain the slats in further angular adjustment.

SAMUEL S. LEVY. 

